Ecumenical Economics
Expanding moral imagination on Capitol Hill
Our purpose
Ecumenical Economics helps policymakers explore and rethink economics beyond the dominant frameworks that shape federal policymaking.
We connect congressional staff with researchers, practitioners, and communities developing new approaches to today’s economic challenges, creating spaces for real learning, dialogue, and fresh ideas.
The challenge
Congressional staff regularly confront situations that strain their values, including institutional incentives that conflict with personal convictions or moments of complicity in harm.
Staffers implicitly understand that the high stakes of their work require setting their own wellbeing aside. The lowest paid staffers work 50 to 60 hours a week and earn less than $59,000 a year, just barely enough to constitute a living wage in DC, with interns making far less, or nothing at all.
Who we serve
Staff Clarity is designed for congressional staff who seek spiritual, moral, or reflective support, whether they are rooted in a religious tradition, spiritually curious, or not drawn to organized religion.
We offer space for meaning-making, clarity, and personal formation without dogma, proselytizing, or ideological expectations. Participants come from varied backgrounds and beliefs.
Our offerings
Since launching in July 2025, Staff Clarity has established a presence in the U.S. House staff prayer room with the support of the House Chaplain, formalized a research and internship partnership with Union Theological Seminary, and expanded its offerings with the launch of a "Sunday Scaries" meditation group.